She Who Runs with the Wolves
by GreenxGold
Summary: Natalie Larcen just lost her uncle. As a result, she finds herself packing for a move from her home in California that her dad coordinated in order to escape their grief. Her new home? Forks, a place she feels will kill her from boredom. How does she react when she realizes the inhabitants of Forks and La Push aren't who they seem? Will she accept her new fate? Post Bre/Dawn
1. Introduction

**Hi Everyone! This is my first story, so I would really appreciate some reviews and advice. Otherwise, enjoy!**

After my uncle died, I figured things couldn't get any worse. I should've known not to jinx myself. A month after Henry Larcen's, my uncle's funeral, I found myself staring at the ugly boxes that signified the end of my time here on the sunny Golden Coast which was my home of sixteen years. Even worse than leaving my own personal heaven on earth was the fact that I would be leaving for Forks, Washington.

Forks was known for its depressing weather forecast: rain, grey skies, the whole nine yards. I knew that within a few weeks I would lose my natural California tan and I would probably resemble a drowned rat. I don't even think I own a raincoat! I felt even worse for the horses. My family trains and sells horses, and I'm sure they will not appreciate the extreme change in weather and location. Especially my own horse, Jazz, a temperamental bay whose attitude would surely sour with the new weather.I could see his beautiful dark copper coat from my bedroom and sighed affectionately at the thought of his unruly behavior.

Staring at him for a few moments longer, I lost to the temptation to take him for one last ride on the vineyard. Technically, the vineyard was not ours. My uncle and his family owned it while my family owned the adjacent property, which was home to our training business. It was a win win for both of our families. We got unlimited access to beautiful trails and of course the wine cellar while my younger cousins were granted daily visits and lessons with our horses. Plus it meant that both families grew very close, which was my heart tore up at the thought of my fun and loving uncle riding with me and teasing about the manure in his vineyard. Once I got to the vineyard, all of my grief was momentarily replaced by the stunning beauty in front of me. The vineyard overlooked a small lake, and was neatly fenced in by one of the rare parcels of forest in Temecula. _How come all of this good fortune had to slip away?_ My father claims that the move would help the business and myself exponentially. Apparently there are a lot of horses in Washington and one new client had specifically reached out to my dad for help. Also, there is a famous English discipline trainer who was going to manage the showing career I was born into. As much as my father claimed it was all about the business, it didn't take an ace detective to know his true intentions. Forks was his childhood home, and it held precious memories of my uncle before the accident. It was his attempt to go back in time. Dad also has many good friends he still kept in touch with there, and I know that this move will be therapeutic for him. I promised all of my friends and cousins I was leaving behind that we would visit, and that he just needed some time. Internally I promised myself that it was only for two years and that I would apply for the University of California the second I could. That was what helped me come to terms with the move. _I'll be back soon California._

When I got back to the house all of the packing was done and all that was left was to load the horses. We were taking seven trailers full of horses with us to accommodate our 41 horses. Mom, Dad, my three older brothers, our two stable hands, and I planned on taking one trailer each while my thirteen year old brother got shotgun next to me. Thinking about the six restless horses and my hyperactive kid brother I would have to drive for over 1,300 miles made me feel a little sick, and when my older brother Charlie caught my expression he laughed at my bad luck. _So much for brotherly love._

I just sighed at his mockery and tried to slump around in an over dramatic way that earned more laughs, well, except from my mother. "Natalie!" my mom yelled "Stop your sulking, you're bothering the horses!"

 _As if I bothered anyone. I'm an angel_. My other brother Adam, Charlie's twin, seemed to read my thoughts and choked down a chuckle. I returned the gesture with a conspiring smile.

After what seemed like forever, we were finally ready to leave our home. I tried not to think about it too much as we pulled out of our driveway and past the familiar ranches. Instead I focused on the next era of my life, my new home in Forks. _Ah Forks, the place where it rains more than sun shines. It will never compare to our colorful California. and maybe when my dad realizes how boring life will most certainly be there, he'll take us back home._ The thought made me drive a little faster. _Only 1,299 miles to go._


	2. Raining and Riding

That car ride was ugly, no way around it. Our caravan of trailers had to stop several times to feed the horses and let them move their legs, so the whole trip stretched out into two and a half days. Worst of all, my brother refused to relinquish control on "his" radio (I don't even get that part, it's _my_ truck) so I was forced to listen to 1,300 miles of the tasteless yodelling known as country music. I would've been happy driving in silence because my uncle loved to sing and music is another painful reminder of him, but no, my brother wouldn't have that. Personally, I don't even consider country a form of music so it didn't cause me any more grief, and my usually successful persuasion had no effect on his descision to slowly drive me insane. That's how I spent my last two and a half days, gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles as my sanity slowly flew out the window along the state highway.

I could tell we were in Forks as soon as we crossed the border because it almost perfectly matched the description my dad gave us. Crummy roads walled in by a fortitude of green pine and enough clouds to suffocate on. "Perfect" I mumbled too low for my passenger to hear. Well, I thought it was too low. His sarcasm detecter must've alerted him because he took a safe peek at my murderous expression and snickered. _So help me God if I wasn't driving I would've throttled that boy by now. He's almost as annoying as Adam was when he was his age._ A memory of one of Adam's embarrassing exploits floated through my head and I shuddered delicately. _Almost, but not quite._

I was so distracted by this train of thought and the brain-numbing trash I was listening to that I didn't hear the howl.

Ben shot up straight in the seat as if he had been zapped, and turned to look at me with wide eyes. "Did you hear that Nat?"

I, being slightly crazy at this point really wanted to say: _No of course I didn't, your pathetic excuse for music made sure of that._ Instead, I listened to my desire to comfort him and just said "No, what did you hear?"

"It sounded like wolves! But really close and way too loud."

My grip tightened on the steering wheel and I eased into the acceleration. I was going to have to scope out the area as soon as possible. I didn't like the idea of wolves coming close to my horses.

"Ben, we are just going to have to get used to living in Washington. We had sharks and mountain lions in California, this is just something new to watch out for. Okay?"

He nodded but his jaw remained tight and he stared straight ahead, no doubt seeing a new nightmare inspired from the moment. _Poor kid._

"Hey" I said a little gentler, forgetting about the torture he and Brad Paisley were putting me through for a second. "How about you and me hit the trails after we get the horses settled, huh? We used to make quite the adventuring pair back home, and that way we can put this wolf business to rest."

He gave me a soft smile, and even turned down the volume out of thanks. _Progress!_

When we pulled into our new dirt driveway, the breath I had been holding in anticipation left my lungs. I turned grinning to my brother. "Almost worth the 1,300 mile drive eh?"

He just snorted and pulled me out of the car.

"Come on let's check out the new crib!"

I rolled my eyes, but let him pull me towards our new palace in the pines anyways. I have to admit, the house makes my new move here slightly less uncomfortable.

It's a lumberjack's dream home. The building had three domed roofs, the biggest being the largest by far. Windows of all sizes covered the sides, probably rivalling the log and stone work in surface area. The house sat on a hill, encased by two massive porches on both stories, and beautifully framed by a few pine trees and a willow further back. Breathtaking.

As soon as the immediate shock wore off, I guiltily compared the house in front of me and my home back in California. My old home was white and elegant with pillars, our California vineyard version of a much downsized mansion. It made me feel like a royal, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be blessed with that house. In comparison this place was all wood, stone, and interesting edges that captivated me. It was beautiful, yes, but was it home? I would have to wait and see.

The moving company was nice enough to bring all of our stuff inside, and so after taking a quick rest to meet up with the family we hopped back in the truck to move the horses without having to worry about settling in just yet. As we came around the curve of the hill, my heart joined my breathing in quitting on me. I think my jaw might've dropped too. The stable was not like anything I'd ever seen. I let my eyes wander from the huge, squarish building to the pasture on top of pasture, and to the path that leads to a riding ring in the distance. Beyond that was forest that I had no doubt contained trails for me to explore. I itched to be in them right now, but Charlie placed a constraining hold on my shoulder with a twinkle of mirth in his eyes just as soon as the desire entered my mind. _Curse his stupid sibling telepathic abilities._ "Wait a second Nat. Don't start thinking that you can shirk your duties that easily."

I shrugged out of his grip but grudgingly opened the trailer door and grabbed the first horse, rushing to get moving. As I approached the building, I marvelled at the beauty I had first missed because of my earlier distractions. I saw blue walls, with a charming stone base that matched the house that sat above on the hill. All of the stalls made up the outer shell of the building, inside contained the tack and feed rooms, the wash stalls for winter months, and at the heart was an indoor ring equipped with a viewing room. I whistled lowly. No way we could've afforded this back in California. I silently thanked the much lower real estate market in Washington, and continued marching each horse inside.

"Benny let's go!" I whisper shouted at him while simultaneously tacking up Jazz on the crossties. We had already decided that we wouldn't unpack everything, just the necessaries, so there was no work to feel guilty about skipping. He just rolled his eyes at my enthusiasm, tacking up his own horse Jack. A few minutes later and we were galloping out to the edge of the fields, where we slowed to a shorter stride. As much as it was thrilling to fly through unknown woods on my favorite horse, I still wanted to keep my eyes peeled for any signs of wolves. I took him off the path to look at a river for deer tracks (we didn't find any) and towards some boulders to investigate a possible den (from a distance of course). We had been moving at a slow trot in a thick cluster of trees when all of a sudden the trees broke around us. We found ourselves on top of a tall cliff looking down some 3,000 feet. At first vertigo gripped my senses and I froze where I was. I _hate_ heights. I don't know what it is, but I get anxiety being any higher than thirty feet. It seemed like forever, but a few seconds later my muscles relaxed and I wound my fingers through Jazzy's hair. Once I had thawed out a little, I could finally appreciate the view. It really was beautiful. The trees rippled below us and I could see a mass of fog moving in from the direction of the ocean. Then I realized with a start that the fog seemed a little _too_ dark, and that the trees were being blown around too violently to pass off as just a summer breeze. _Crap!_ "Hey Nat is that rain in the distance?"

I squinted at the rain in question a little longer before bringing my attention back to my brother's waiting gaze "STORM!"

Not wanting to get caught in unfamiliar territory with my little brother and my precious Jazz by rain, I urged Jazz into a gallop that made everything seem to blur past us. We barely made it back home before the rain washed over us, and after our horses were taken care of, we then had to run through it to get inside the house. I passed by a mirror in the doorway and sighed. _My earlier prediction had come true, I_ did _look like a drowned cat._ My normally thick brown hair clung to my neck,even my natural golden highlights looked dull. My face was blank as a result of the grief that still battled inside me, and my dark caramel eyes seemed empty. But worst of all? My tan! My beautiful tan that marked me as a true Californian and held memories of my life before the horrible last few weeks looked like it had never been there! It almost seemed to have leached out of my skin. It probably was just the lighting, but this sent me over the edge. It was our family trademark, and reminded me of my home. I hated to see it go.

With a mood that matched the sky, I stomped up the stairs and past my boxes that were waiting to be unpacked, and heaved myself onto my new bed. I planned on taking a sleeping bag to the barn later to wait out the first night with Jazz. I didn't want him to feel as betrayed and lonely as I felt in this miserable town, but I couldn't say no to that nice looking bed after driving for so long. _A little nap couldn't hurt, right?_ And with that, I drifted off to sleep.

 **So, what do you guys think? I would really love some feedback, this is all new for me :) This was mostly a chapter designed to give you guys an idea of where she is living and a tiny description fit in of what Natalie looks like. In a later chapter, I will make a note of her bedroom too. Maybe next chapter will be a little more exciting... I think that a party could really cheer Natalie up *wink wink* but who knows!**

 **Later taters,**

 **GreenxGold**


	3. Strangers

I knew I must be dreaming, mostly because the horse in front of me has been dead for eight years. That note from my subconscious was the only thing that convinced me I was not awake. In my dream, I stared across a meadow at my childhood best friend, a family horse we all loved dearly until he passed away when I was eight. He is the being that brought me into the life of a horse person, and for that I owed him everything I am. I stared at him for a few moments, soaking in his vivid beauty until he visibly tensed, stiffer than a board.

Before my eyes, my beloved family pet started shuddering, his coat rippling. Horrified, I gasped and tried to take a step to help him. It was too late for the horse, he stumbled forward, and I watched frozen in place as his grey hair browned into a russet color and his body swelled. My horse was gone, I was staring into the eyes of a huge wolf.

"Nattie, Dad wants to talk to us in the kitchen. Something about meeting his friends I think."

I sighed, all I wanted to do was fall asleep again and dream about something else. In fact, talking about confronting some strangers would have sounded horrible to me before the nightmare. So added to the dream, the idea sounded downright awful.

"I would rather take the wolf." I murmured, tossing myself away from whoever intended to wake me up.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I knew the person, who sounded an awful lot like Ben, would be looking at me like I was crazy. So I just sighed and pushed at the source of the noise.

"Ouch Nats. Fine, sleep now, but you are not going to like what happens next."

I would have rolled my eyes at his weak threat if I had been a little more conscious.

Before I could get more comfortable, I was greeted by an amazing smell.

"Bacon? Is that all you got?"

Now I could add scoffing to the list of things I would do if I was awake.

That is when it hit me. Not "it" exactly, them. And by them I mean our three dogs who had smelled the bacon on my face and love it just as much as I do.

Which is to say a lot.

"Argh! Dogs! Ben! Help!" I spluttered while being jumped by the dogs.

So much for man's best friend. I had a sneaking suspicion that anyone with the right kind of meat could turn any dog on its man.

"Ok Ben, I give! I will get up. Just get them OFF!"

"Sure. Just smile for the camera first Natalie."

I felt the double betrayal sink in. I would never hear the end of it if he got photographic evidence. First the dogs and now my baby brother? I thought this kind of blackmail would have been too low, even for one of us crazy Larcen kids.

I did what any girl in my position would have done. I launched myself at him with all the fury of a seventeen-year-old-girl-scorned. Bacon, girl, boy, and dogs alike were all in flight at the same moment. I probably would have thought it was funny if I didn't have a serious blackmail threat looming over my head.

"Give. Me. Your. PHONE!" I snarled at him through clenched teeth, my forearm inching closer and closer to fully blocking his windpipe as I hovered over him. It was all a bluff. I am many things but sadistic is not one of them. However he took my bluff very seriously.

With a squeak, he surrendered his phone and scurried down the stairs. I slowly trailed him, feud already forgotten.

"I got her up." Ben said, a little hoarsely. He subtly rubbed his throat and shot me a conspiring smile.

I smiled back. "What did you want us for?" I asked sweetly.

Jeez, if I hadn't known any better I would thought myself angelic. My dad must have seen through my too-sweet tone because he narrowed my eyes, but didn't say anything. Self-consciously I picked at my hair, pulling a few bites of meat out from it. Ben smiled sheepishly at me when he noticed the inconspicuous action.

I better remember to get him back for that later. I mean, I now have his phone in my possession...

Before my mind was fully consumed by the dark emotion of revenge, my father interrupts me. "Tonight is going to be a reunion of sorts. My old high school buddies and I agreed that we need to catch up, what with all that has happened since I last saw them. My late friend Harry died of a heart attack last year, and they need to know about what happened to my broth-" he choked, something my father never does, and I caught a glimpse of his tortured expression before he averted his eyes.

"Listen" he started again after regaining his composure, "I know you four were not entirely happy with the idea of moving to Forks-" I rolled my eyes at the understatement of the century, "But as you know, this place was my home for those years after your grandparents divorced. This is where your uncle and I met our best friends for life." His eyes glazed over with the flood of memories involving the younger version of his brother and himself.

"I contacted them recently, and we have decided that a reunion is more than needed. So tonight, we will be hosting a barbecue with my friends and their families."

The twins, always theatrical, clutched their hearts and placed a hand on their foreheads, feigning horror. I however did not need to feign anything. I was not a fan of anything that solidified our move here, and I refused to acknowledge that our situation was anything more than temporary. To me, having a "welcome back" party or whatever my dad seemed to think this was, certainly seemed to be a sign of our stay lasting indefinitely.

"How many?" I groaned.

"Well," he started thoughtfully "My friends that will be present tonight are Charlie Swan and Henry Morgan from Forks, and Billy Black from the La Push reservation as well as my late friend Harry Clearwater's family should be coming too."

He thought for a minute, mentally estimating the numbers. "Charlie has a daughter a little older than the twins, but I think he mentioned a vacation with her husband-" I choked on my orange juice, and Ben had to slap my back before I could breathe again. How could someone about the same age as the twins be married? From what I can tell, no normal person would even be considering an actual committed relationship at that age.

Picturing Adam, the ficklest person I know, with a steady girlfriend made me start choking again. After another round of thumping from my brother my spluttering (and dignity) died out, allowing my father to continue.

"Like I was saying, she will probably not be there along with Henry, who has a business meeting to attend, and Billy's two daughters. So that leaves..." he resumed his mental math "Around eight people."

I nodded, that seemed manageable enough. My bad mood was slightly mollified.

After breakfast, we split up to handle our personal responsibilities. Dad let Ben and I take care of the horses and help our mother finish unpacking, while the twins and Dad left to gather supplies for the reunion.

I gained a little satisfaction from the fact that I was separated from any tasks involving the party, probably because I had made it known not too subtly that: a) moving to the middle of no where was one of the worst things to happen to us, and b) it should therefore not be publicly glorified with a party. That's right people, I just found joy in scaring others with my bad attitude.

Ben and I took up almost half the day caring for the horses, mostly because we got into a little argument (that may or may not have had something to do with his cruel wake up techniques from this morning), which escalated into a full out hose war. When we finished with the chores we arrived back at the house, changed out of our wet clothes, and started the food preparations for later that night.

As the day progressed closer to the evening and I added kitchen to the barn and sweat I already smelled of, I decided to take a shower. Charlie had left his speakers in the bathroom, so I plugged in my phone and pressed play. I sighed, feeling the warm water and amazing talent known as Beyonce wash over my body. Halo became just too much for me, and I found myself belting out the lyrics while adding my own voice to Beyonce's vocals.

After a few rounds of singing in the shower, I realized I should probably get out. I reluctantly wrapped a towel around myself and trudged down the hall to my room. I didn't really care about the party or what the new people thought of me, which meant dressed myself thoughtlessly without much consideration about keeping up appearances. I slid down the banister, still riding the high a good song always seemed to give me. It was because of that high that I failed to notice how the number of people that would normally be judging me had multiplied until I nearly ran them over. The party had started. Well, in my mind the party doesn't start until I walk in. I am the life of the party, people. It's a blessing and a curse.

Anyways, somewhat like what I had just predicted, I suddenly became the most interesting thing in the room. And by interesting I mean unusual- putting it nicely.

I could already see myself in there eyes: hair that resembled a clump of seaweed, cutoff jeans and a shirt with my old hockey team logo, reckless behavior that included sliding on banisters and slamming into their guests. I was a red hot mess.

I mentally gave them all a certain finger and strolled into the room like I owned the place. Silly Natalie, there's no like. You technically do own the place.

I made myself ignore the voices in my head, and it hasn't been the first time I've had to do so. At this rate it is only polite that I should name it one of these days because I frequently have conversations with him/her. I'll get around to naming you later, I promised to myself.

Ben noticed my inner monologue and made his way over to my wallflower position.

"Nattie what did I tell you about thinking?" he said in a mocking tone.

I huffed "That I shouldn't do it without supervision and that I need to take breaks so I don't strain myself?"

"Good girl! I think that calls for a Scooby Snack, don't you?" he said patting my hair and throwing a cookie at my face.

I grabbed it before it reached my eye and shoved the whole thing in my mouth. Hey, a cookie is a cookie.

"You're a mongrel."

"And you're a pig headed brat. I'm jealous of all the people here."

He blinked in confusion. "Why is that?"

"Because they haven't met you yet"

Charlie heard my outburst over his conversation with another boy and laughed while slapping me on my back. He quickly opened his discussion to include ours. I think he probably just wanted me to draw attention away from him, he never thought I was that funny.

"Tobias, this is my sister Natalie. She's a grade A pain in the ass, but since she's in your grade at school she's your pain in the ass now" he said shoving me into this "Tobias" fellow.

He looked me in the eye before answering my brother thoughtfully "I'm probably worse. I will most likely end up being her pain in the ass, not the other way around."

I sized him up. I am no one's anything. I am a strong, independent women for crying out loud! My breathing sped up a little after my assesment. I bet I already knew a lot about him solely based on one key characteristic: his hair. He had your typical hockey player "flow" of silky gingery locks. I guess he sized me up too because he smiled wide upon noticing my shirt. "You're a hockey player eh" I meant it to sound like a question but it came out like a statement. I knew I had guessed correctly when he smiled even wider.

"Yup, and you are one too right?"

I smiled and nodded. I may have assumed what he was, but I already wanted to know who he was. I know not to judge a book by its cover, and based on the happy smile that reached his eyes when he looked at me, I found myself wanting to read into him a little more- as cheesy as that just sounded. He seemed nice, not like the other cocky hockey players I left behind in California. I might have just found myself my first friend here in Forks. If I was that lucky, that is.

Our staring contest was interrupted by what I would have described as Tobias's look alike if it wasn't for the obvious physical differences. They both had the same easy smiled that looked like it was permanently etched on his face. If you could just look past the different skin tones, you would see the resemblance. They could've been brothers. Well that was a stretch- Tobias looked half his age. Maybe more like cousins or something. "Hi" the new person said, shooting his large hand out for me to shake "Welcome to Forks. I'm Seth."

I smiled at Seth and Tobias did too, although I did notice it wavered and no longer reached his eyes. Looks pretty forced to me.

I shook Seth's hand and was going to introduce myself, but something distracted me. "Oh ow! Your hand is burning! Do you need to get some fresh air or something, you have a fever Seth" I said suddenly worried. The La Push resident may have been jacked and twice my size, but something in the goofy way he carried himself brought out the motherly instinct in me. And I don't even like kids, how did he manage to do that?

He sighed and retracted his hand. "Jeez new girl, I may be a few years younger than you but you aren't my mother. It's a Quileute thing, don't worry about it."

How the hell is he younger than me? I guess steroids are "just a Quileute thing" too.

"Well why don't you guys come outside with me anyways? I still think you need to cool down, and we can bring some hot dogs to cook on the fire."

Stupid adorable boys. I was going to be just fine with sneaking out of the party and listening to music in the barn, but now I can't bring myself to leave them. It would just feel wrong, like kicking a puppy or something.

What is Forks doing to my head? You're going soft Natalie!

They both said 'sure' without hesitating and helped me smuggle the hot dogs outside. I wasn't able to escape without catching a look from the twins though, who split up to talk to the remaining kids our age. All two of them.

Who knows what that was about, but the thought of my older brothers planning something made me drag the guys down the path to our fire pit a little faster.

The boys introduced themselves, and before I knew it they were talking about school, cars, and sports as if they had known each other for their entire lives.

Huh, I guess I was on to something with the brothers thing.

I was left to start the fire while they gossiped like old women. Boys. I thought, rolling my eyes. Completely useless when it comes to work, but very interested in reaping the rewards. For example... "Aw sorry Nat. I guess you got the fire going without us. Can we make hot dogs now?"

Before I could even dream of answering them, they rummaged through the bag and produced some sticks and hot dogs. Thank you for proving my point Wonder Twins. More like Blunder Twins. I smiled to myself and nibbled a marshmallow while they inhaled the hot dogs.

I heard some people approaching from behind us, but the Blunder Twins were a little too preoccupied to notice. "What do you want Looney Tunes?" I asked Adam dryly.

He plopped down on the empty ground beside me. "We wanted to introduce you to some more people."

Oh boy. Because that is what I desperately wanted to do more than anything... said me never.

"Natalie this is Leah Clearwater, Seth's sister. And that is Quil Aterea" Charlie said.

"He just showed up when we did. He thinks he's cooler than a leech- I mean Leah" Seth corrected himself quickly when said sister shot him a look.

I knew that look. It was the shut-up-before-you-blow-the-secret-you-dim whit look. I would know, I've used it in Ben more times than I can count. What were those Clearwater kids hiding?

"Party crashing. All the cool kids are doing it these days." finished Quil smoothly after Seth was silenced with the glare. Scratch that. What are those Quileute kids hiding? Quil is obviously in on it too.

Charlie sat down next to Leah and across from us, and Ben was soon beside him. "Besides, you started quite the scandal when you left with two boys by yourself" Ben said with smirk on his face that made him look stupid I thought.

I was shaking quietly with anger. There had to be some way to get him back. Think Nat, think!

I got it.

Suddenly my eyes widened and I stiffened in shock. "WOLF!" I shrieked.

I knew that Ben was scared of the howl he heard on our first day in Forks, and just as I predicted he followed my gaze into the woods behind him. At this moment I reached down and whipped a pack of hot dogs at the back of his head as hard as I could. He yelped and glared at me, his eyes burning.

Adam's laugh seemed to echo across the pastures. He clapped me on the back and grabbed me roughly around the shoulders. Seth and Tobias bristled to my right and Tobias actually shoved him off of me with a tight grin on his face. "Let's not choke her, shall we?" he said dryly. Adam glared menacingly at him.

I did not like where this was going. I really liked Tobias, and it was brave of him to stand up for me and all, but I would always stand with my family if it came to a confrontation. Even if they just so happened to be incredibly obnoxious.

"Well as much as I love a good fight, I think I know how to settle this" I said with a small grin growing on my face.

"Sing off!" I shouted.

"Do we look like a freaking boy band to you?" Leah spat. Leah seemed like a cold hearted bitch, but I could tell she wasn't like that all the time from the way her gaze softened when it landed on her brother. Still, I knew her type. If you let her push you around once, she won't stop if she knows she can get away with it. So I wasn't going to back down.

"Not a boy band, no. I do however peg you for someone with a serious case of the Bieber fever" I said thoughtfully.

She was clearly shocked, but after an agonizing moment she showed me a friendly smirk. "I like you. Maybe I'll even go easy."

We were forced to take music lessons at the school I went to in Cali. She didn't stand a chance.

"Adam and I versus Tobias and Leah."

Adam high fived me while he watched Tobias trudge around the fire to his team's side.

"Let's wipe the floor with these posers."

I grinned at him. Don't we always?

We let the other team go first, so they could at least think they stood a chance. They chose a powerhouse ballad that I could tell Leah was very comfortable singer. And I have to admit, she has a great voice. So good that I might even put money on her being guilty of singing it in the shower once in a while. It was poor Tobias that looked out of his element. He had a cute little pout on his face from having to settle a dispute in this unexpected way, and the poor guy only got to put in a few words before Leah took it away. That's right folks, Leah Clearwater is a mic hog.

Adam and I decided on _Never Say Never_ by the one and only Bieber himself as a way to mock Leah a little more. It took some convincing, mostly because I suspected that he might have developed a pretty serious crush on the girl, but after I persuaded him that Leah would probably appreciate a homage to Justin he was all in.

And that ladies and gentlemen, is how you lie to get what you want. In this case, to get to rock a Bieber song.

We both whipped out our own guitars, and I could tell from the look on Tobias´s face when we finished that we smashed it. Leah 0 Natalie 1.

Seth and Quil decided that they wanted in, and we spent the rest of the night laughing and shrieking around the fire. Before I fell asleep, I remember covering my face tightly with my hands. Based on my first impression of Quil, I wouldn't put it past him to draw something on my face while I was passed out, and I know Adam would be all too happy to oblige. _If those two become friends, the world will never be safe again._

 _A/N_

 _Sorry for the late update. I have a really busy work/school schedule and will try to update once or twice a month until December. Also, review, comment, favorite, SOMETHING please! It helps to know what you guys think._

 _Thanks for the patience,_

 _Greenie_


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